cadet blogs

Happy holidays and New Year to everyone! I am so happy to be home spending the break with my friends and family. It’s amazing to be relieved of the stress and work that comes with Academy life. I do not think I have woken up before 10:00 a.m. more than twice this winter leave, and it feels fantastic.

I haven’t done that much this break, but I was lucky enough to get invited to a holiday party for retired officers at the Coast Guard Station in Boston. I went with a family friend who is a retired Navy commander and captain. It was really fun and a great opportunity to hear the anecdotes of those who served before me. They all had hilarious stories as well as unbelievable ones that I learned from. I also got to go to the All Academy Holly Ball for all of the service academies, which was held in Boston. Needless to say, the CGA cadets ripped up the dance floor. It was so much fun, and I’ll definitely be going back next year!

I can’t believe it’s already 2013, and halfway through my 3/c (sophomore) year at the Academy. I had a pretty good first semester, and I’m looking forward to the next one. The 4/c in my company are truly impressive and optimistic, which really brings the entire company’s morale up, so I hope it stays that way again for this coming year!

Another semester has flown by at the Coast Guard Academy, which seems to be a common occurrence here. I feel like my last two years here have gone by so quickly, which is sort of a bittersweet feeling. In some ways it is good because we are all so much closer to becoming commissioned officers in the Coast Guard, but at the same time it is gloomy because it means some of the best times of are lives are going to become the past. That is why I plan on making the most of the next year and a half that I have at the Academy.

As for right now though I am at home on leave spending time with my family. The Coast Guard prides itself on how family-oriented they are and it truly shows when we are given almost four weeks to spend with our families and friends from home. I plan on relaxing for the majority of this break and catching up on some much needed sleep. I look forward to returning to the Academy for another semester but as for now I am going to enjoy my time at home relaxing with my family.